Switch for motor vehicle signaling devices



P; W. VAN DERHOFF; V SWITCH FOR MOTOR VEHICLE SIGNALING DEVICES.

, APPLICATION FILED DEC 3|. I9I7. 1,303,423.

Paten ted m 13, 1919;.

sun 1.-

P; w. VAN DERHOFF. v SWITCH FUR MOT-0i? VEHICLESIGNALING DEVICES.Armenian rumors-a1. m1. 7 1",303 4;23. V I Patented May 13, 1919.

2. SHEETSSHEET Z.

gnuenfot 1 citizenof the United States, residi PAlUL W. VANDERHOFF, OITOPEKA,

BWITC'H FOB MOTOBFVEHICLE SJ IGNALING DEVICES.

Original spas-mum February 27,

To wltom it may concern.- h 4 Be it known that I, PAUL W. Vaxoimnorr,

ka, inthe county of Shawnee and I tate ansas, have invented certain newand usefullmprovements in Switches for Motor- "VehicleSIgnaIingDeyices-of which the fol lowing is a specification.

' This invei tion nelates to an improved electric switch particularl foruse in connection with e si almg devices,

for signal device forfvehicls, filed Februa 27,1917, Serial Number151,318.

he invention bases its primary ob ect to y being a division of y -pen gapplication-- providea switch for controlling the electri- *czilcircuits of a signal system whereby a driverIoi'a vehicle may indicatean lIltGIltlOXl:

td'proceed directly ahead, to turn eithento the right or'left, ortostop, by the selective energizatiou of certain, electric signal lights.

-',';'.-A'fu'rther object of the invention is to provide aQswitchstructure bymeans of which any desired pair 6: lights of a front signalmechanism for the vehicle and 0. corresponding pair of ii hts of a'reansignal mech anism -for the vehic e may be simultaneously eners Anda still further ob ect ofthe invention is to provide/a 'switch oftheabove described character'ivhicli ,may be mounted upon the steecolumn of the vehicle and so 'constru that the actuation of the switchto give one signal will automatically break the circuit of any other,signal then displayed. Other and incidental objects will appear as thedescription proceeds, and in the drawingswhere'in I have illustrated thepreferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar referencecharacters designate correspending partsthroughout the several viewsFigure 1 is a side elevation showing a conventional type of motorvehicle equipped with my improved switch and illustrating thearrangementof the signals at the front and rearjof the vehicle, controlled by theswitch. r

:Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the wiring system employed inconnection with the switch for controlling the'frnnt and rear signalmechanism of the vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a. sectional view showing the .s'witrh in detail andillustrating the nmm'wr Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

1917, Serial 801161,!18. Divided and this application filed December 81,1917. Serial No. 209,891.

in which the switch is mounted upon the steering column of the vehicle,and

Fig. 4 is an unassembled perspective view of certain of the switchelements.

As previously intimated, the switch of the present invention isparticularly desi ed for use in connection-with a. motor ve iclesignnling mechanism of the type shown in my pending application referredto. .Accordlngly, I have, in order that theeonstruction and operation otthe switch may be ac; curately understood, shown the-switch, in

the present instance, in connection with such signaling mechanism.Briefly stated. this signalin mechan sm includes a signal dc vice A aapted to be mounted at the front of,

a 'motor vehicle, as shown in'Fig. liof the drawings, and a similarsignal device :13

adapted to' be mounted in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle shown ofcon'ventional form. Each of the said s final devices is, formed withahollow hub 10 item which flextend a pluralityof tubular radial arms 11which arepfeferably eight in number, For

convenience, any arm and that arm-extend ing opposite to it willbetermed a painof armsand the signals carried by them will be termed apair of signals, Mounted upon the outerextremities of the. arms are"signals cach'in the form of aj'lam closing an electric light bu b. Onepair of signals is indicated at 12, another pair at 18, another pair at14, and the remaining pair at 15. The various signals giveh'bynthedevice' consist in the selective lighting'btthe casing au o-- differentpairs of lamps. The signals 12 indicate an intention to prooeedstraightahead; the signals 13 indicate an intention tosop'; the signals 14indicate an intention to turn to the right; while the/signals 15indicate an intention. to turn to the left. The wires to the light bulbs'of the several signals are preferably carried into the hub 10 andthrough the tubular arm 11 to the electric light bulbs. Thefrontsignaling deviceA is supported upon thev vehicle in any convenientmanner while jthe. rear signalin device B is supported upon a pipe 16ex-ten ing beneath the vehicle and forming a conduit forthe wiresleading from'the lights of the saiddevices. .Any suitable source oflmttllr', energy, such as a storage battery 17, may 'lu' employed forenergizing the lights.

innen'face of the said wall.

slidefprojects through the adjacent end of Coming now more particularlyto the' each other and each spring contact 21 is movableinto' engagementwith its contact 20 by pressure exerted against the former contact by aplunger 22 reciprocally mounted in the. top wall of the casing. Theplungers22 are preferably fixed to the springcontacts 21 so that theywill be held against disengagement from the casing as well as againstturning luovement. Formedin onefacefof each of the plungcrs is a pair ofspaced tan entially extending notches 23.

Mounted beneath the top wall of the casing is a'slide 24 supported by apair of screws 26 loosely passed through slots 27 in the slide andholding the slide against the One end of this the casing and has afinger key 27 by which the slide may-be reciprocatcd. A helical spring28 connected at one end to a depending lug or finger. 29 carried by theslide and .at its opposite end to a stud 30 project ing from the.adjacent wall of the casing. As will be clcartllls spring will. thusnormally hold the slide in extended position.

The slide at points normally oppositeeach plunger 22 is formed withprojecting portions' 31, the lateral edges of which are adapted to seatin one or the other of the notches 23'of the different plhngers 22according 'to whether such plungers are in cx tended or depressedposition. This slide will,- 'ftherefore, serve .lo senii-positivelvilock the plungers in extended position and also to senjii positivelylock any depressed plungerinitsdcprcsscd position. The notchesin theplungers :u'c. beveled so that any plunger may be depressed withoutinterference from lhe slide. the slide being merely moved against theaction of its spring until the upper notch of said plunger comes Into alinewith the slide. when the said slide snaps hack into place to locksuch depressed plunger and to again lock the remaining projected plungeis. Obviously. the depression of any plunger. therefore. moves the slidein such manner that it will release any plunger previously locked indepressed position. These plungers and their correlated contacts providea plurality of switch members which are adapted to control the circuitsto the pairs of signals 12, 13. 14 and 15 respectively. By means ofthese switch men'ihcrs any desired light circuit or combinations oflight circuits may be closed and all other circuits which werepreviously closed will be automatically opened. At the same time,

any circuit or circuits closed may, by manual extension of the slidethrough its release key 27', be opened without the closing of any othercircuit. To avoid mistake the switch keys are preferably inscribed toindicate the respective circuits which the different keys control. I

In order that the operation of the switch, as just above described, maybe correctly understood I have, in F i 2 0'. -'-he drawings,-

tuither disclosed a pre erred form. of wiring for the signaling system-As there shown, wires 32 lead from one of the binding posts of thebattery 17 to the hubs 10 of the signaling devices A and B and branchwires 33 lead from the ends of the wires 32 through the arms of thesignals to one contact of each light socket therein so that'onecontactof each light socket is always in electrical connection with one bindingpost of the battery. A wire 34; leads from the other battery and branchwires 35 lea from the wire 34 to the plunger actuated contacts21 of theswitch members. A .wire 36 connects the free contact of the socket ofone of the signals 12 of the front signaling device with the freecontact of the corresponding light socket of the rear signaling-devicewhile wires 37 connect the; free contacts of the of the sockets of theother signals 12 with the wire 34. In like manner wires 38, 39 and 40conucct the free contacts of the sockets of oneof the signals 13, 14 and15 of the front signaling device with one of the corresponding signalsof the rear signaling device, and wires 41, 42 and 43 connect the freecontacts of the remaining signals 13, 14: and 15 with the wires 38. 39and 40 respectively; For convenience the different switch members areindicated at C. D, Eand F respectively. A wirc 44 connects the contact20 of the switch member 0 with the wire 36 and wires 45. 46 and 47-connect the corresponding contacts of thc switch members'l). E and Frespectively with the wires 38, 39 and 40. It

- will thus be seen that closing the switch C will close a. circuitthrough all of the signals 12 to consequently give a signal at both thefront and rear of the vehicle of the drivers in tcntion to proceedstraight ahead. In like manner. closing the switch member D willenergize all of the signals 13 to consequently .give a signal of thedrivers intention to stop. while closing of the switch members E or Fwill energize the signals 14 or 15 to ind icatc an intention on the partof the driver to turn to the right or to the left. as the case may be.It. will. therefore. be seen that, I have provided a particularlyefiicient form of switch for the purpose set forth and, as illustratedin the drawings. the said switch is preferably mounted upon the steeringcolumn of the vehicle where the switch will be easily accessible.However, if so desired, the switchmay be otherwise located.

Having thus described the invention, when is claimedas new is:

1. Aselective switch for signals including a casing, a plurality ofcontacts in the cusing, a plurality of spring contacts each niovableinto engagement with one of the first" contacts, operating plungers formoving the spring contacts, said plungers projecting into the casing andbeing connected to the spring contacts to be held thereby against"displacement from the casing, a slide, and an 0 eiative engagementbetween the slide and p ungers where depression of any plungerwillautomatical y lock such plunger in delectively, and means for lockingthe plungers in depressed position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PiiUL W: VANDERHOFF. [1,. 5.1

